In The News – Page 4 – PROGRESS in Lending

A federal judge blocked a HUD plan that would have radically altered a decades-old fair housing grant program and defunded more than 100 private, community-based nonprofit fair housing enforcement organizations, which between them handle three in four housing discrimination complaints filed in this country. HUD’s plan would have caused some fair housing organizations to go out of business and others to lay off staff, significantly reducing their services to people experiencing discrimination and housing insecurity.

Affordability In The News

MBA: Mortgage Application Payments Decreased Slightly In July

August 27, 2026 PROGRESS In Lending

Homebuyer affordability improved in July, with the national median payment applied for by purchase applicants decreasing to $2,175 from $2,191 in June. This is according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Purchase Applications Payment Index (PAPI), which measures how new monthly mortgage payments vary across time – relative to income – using data from MBA’s Weekly Applications Survey (WAS).

In The News LOS Trends

Merchants Bank Grows Jumbo Correspondent Lending Volume Over 200% With Blue Sage

August 27, 2026 PROGRESS In Lending

Merchants Bank has significantly expanded its jumbo correspondent lending program following the implementation of the Blue Sage Digital Lending Platform.

Expansion In The News

National AMC Can Now Accept And Process UAD 3.6 Orders

August 26, 2026 PROGRESS In Lending

WFG Enterprise Solutions, a division of Williston Financial Group, announced that Valutrust Solutions, its national appraisal management company, is ready to accept and process appraisal orders using the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) 3.6 and redesigned appraisal reports. Valutrust Solutions’ staff and appraiser network have been trained and prepared to support lenders through the transition.

In The News MISMO

MISMO Launches Two New AI Governance Certifications At Fall Summit

August 26, 2026 PROGRESS In Lending

MISMO launched two new certifications designed to help mortgage companies navigate the growing need for responsible AI governance. The MISMO FRAME Advisory Partner Certification and MISMO AI Governance Certification are being introduced during the MISMO Fall Summit in Reston, Virginia.

Home Prices In The News

June Home Price Growth Picks Up, But The U.S. Housing Market Remains Stuck In Place

August 25, 2026 PROGRESS In Lending

U.S. home prices rose 1.5% year over year in June, up from 1.2% in May. The 10-City and 20-City Composite indices increased 2.9% and 2.1%, respectively, continuing to outpace the national index.

Execs On The Move In The News

Certainty Home Lending Adds SVP Mortgage Lending, Producing Sales Manager

August 25, 2026 PROGRESS In Lending

National mortgage lender Certainty Home Lending, a Rate Company, has named Troy Williamson as Senior Vice President of Mortgage Lending and Producing Sales Manager. Williamson brings more than 20 years of mortgage origination experience to the role and will be based in North Carolina where he will lead the Wilmington NC Mortgage Team.

Home Equity Lending In The News

Report: The Nation’s Share Of Equity-Rich Homes Declines

August 24, 2026 PROGRESS In Lending

ATTOM released its second quarter 2026 U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report, which shows that 41.1 percent of mortgaged residential properties in the country were equity-rich, meaning the combined estimated amount of loan balances secured by those properties was no more than half of their estimated market value.

In The News Non-QM News

AD Mortgage Announces $407 Million Non-QM Securitization

August 24, 2026 PROGRESS In Lending

AD Mortgage, a provider of non-QM and residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), announced AD Mortgage Trust 2026-NQM6 (ADMT 2026-NQM6), the company’s sixth securitization of 2026. The $407.4 million transaction represents the platform’s 34th securitization and the 21st ADMT deal rated by Fitch Ratings. The transaction was sponsored by Imperial Fund Asset Management, the sole securitization platform for AD Mortgage collateral.

Expansion In The News

Dark Matter Brings Real-Time Document Validation To The Point Of Sale

August 23, 2026 PROGRESS In Lending

Dark Matter Technologies (Dark Matter) announced its latest point-of-sale (POS) release, bringing document validation powered by Aiva Intelligence to the earliest stage of the lending process. By validating borrower documents at upload instead of later in the review process, lenders can identify issues sooner, provide immediate guidance to borrowers and reduce downstream conditions and rework.